First Year Students

Year 1 students are required to take 5.0 credits at the 1000 level (i.e. 1000-1999). Your courses should include the following:

At least 4 different subjects with no more than 2.0 credits in the same subject
 At least 1.0 credit from either Category B (Arts & Humanities) or Category C (Science). This requirement can be met by combining two 0.5 credits or by taking 1.0 full credit equivalent.
 We also encourage you to take an Essay Course in your first year.
Find out if you need a first year Math or Data Science course for your program/module

All first-year students should attend Student Academic Orientation (SAO) to help with course selection and preparation for September. During SAO you will have a chance to meet with a counsellor to discuss your course options.

To prepare for your SAO meeting, we recommend the following:

  1. Check out the department websites to learn more about the programs offered in Social Science
  2. Review course descriptions in the academic calendar and come with a list of options to discuss at your meeting
  3. Check the timetable for course dates and times, delivery type, and location. Students will not be permitted to register in courses that create a scheduling conflict.


Each student will receive an email notifying them of their registration dates when they can begin adding courses. Prior to this date we recommend that you use Draft My Schedule to figure out your top picks for registration. Remember, required courses should be given priority in your timetable. You can find links to this tool along with others in Your Resource Kit under "Registration Tools & Checklists".

Once your registration has started, you will add courses through Student Center. You can find instructions here: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/academics/register_in_courses/index.html. Any further questions regarding registration should be directed to the Office of the Registrar through their Live Chat.

If the Admissions Office has determined you are eligible for advanced standing, you may not need to take all the first-year requirements. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the information for students with advanced standing.

Helpful Hints

The first year of university is meant to be an exploratory year where you can take courses in different subjects while introducing yourself to the programs we offer. There are many choices ahead of you and it may get quite overwhelming at times. To mitigate unnecessary stress and enjoy your student experience, avoid the impulse to do everything in the beginning. It is common for students to make changes to their degree as they go along and upper-year students can take 1000-level courses if they missed something in their first year. Just remember to take the 1000-level courses for any programs you may want to enter in your second year, for instance, if you are considering a Major in Criminology make sure you read the admission requirements on the department website and register in 1.0 of the first-year Sociology credits on their list.

Understanding the difference between a course and a credit will help as you browse Western’s websites. A course is referring to a class that is offered, e.g. PSYCHOL 1002A – Psychology as Natural Science. Whereas a credit refers to the weight of the course. The course may be weighted as 0.5 or 1.0 credit. The course weight can be found on the academic calendar. A first-year student taking the maximum 5.0 credits could be taking any variation from 5 courses weighted as 1.0 credit each, up to 10 courses weighted as 0.5 credit each. When looking at degree and program requirements, it is best to count credits rather than courses.